Mullinville, Kansas

The Sculptures of M.T. Liggett

Metal sculpture folk art lining the Kansas Highway.

Just west of the small town of Mullinville on Highway 154 (US route 400) can be found hundreds of bizarre and abstract metal sculptures squeaking and twirling in the Kansas wind. They are made by Mullinville native M.T. Liggett, from road signs, car parts, farm equipment, and any number of other objects that can be welded together.

The most eye catching works are of a political nature, bashing local, national, and international politicians across the political spectrum. Other works are more personal to Liggett, including sculptures of his dogs, each of his six ex-wives, and one of a three-breasted French prostitute that he once “went to bed with.”

Liggett calls his political sculptures totems, but they function more like traditional political cartoons, complete with exaggerated features like giant noses and warts. None of them are flattering, which is why some of the townspeople are unappreciative of Liggett’s sculpture park. “I’m not a Libertarian. I’m not a Republican. I’m not a Democrat,” Liggett told Roadside America back in 2006. “The problem is, I grab ideas right out of the blue.”

Born in the town in 1930, Liggett has spent his entire life in Mullinville, Kansas. He works out of an old barn with a dirt floor using a plasma arc cutter and an arc welder. Some of his metal sculptures are more than 20 feet tall.

Know Before You Go

Take I-235 to Wichita; take exit 7B, then 115 miles west on US 400 to Mullinville; there, US 400 merges with Hwy 154 and turns into South Ave; the sculptures are on the north side of the road, on the west edge of town.